OROVILLE -- In the wake of the mass killings last December at an elementary school in Connecticut, local school officials are taking steps to improve on the plans they have in place, should it happen in Butte County.

The first step was taken Monday with an active-shooter training seminar attended in Oroville by 60 representatives of school districts, law enforcement, fire departments and other first responders countywide.

County Superintendent of Schools Tim Taylor noted he didn't think he would ever be hosting such training for elementary and middle schools.

"This is the times we're in," he said.

Two officers from Sacramento Sheriff's Department, Sgt. Joe Basham and Sgt. Mike Haynes, led the four-hour training at the Feather River Tribal Health building.

Basham said he has been working on the training program since the incident at Sandy Hook School in Newtown. The two touched on the characteristics of a school shooter, along with specific areas of response plans, but focused particularly on schools' relationships with first responders.

Basham said that typically, mass shootings such as the one at Sandy Hook are well thought out and planned in advance.

And typically, there are students who know something is going to happen, but they fail to tell anyone. "We need to get kids to tell us," he said. "We need to teach them it's important to tell us when they hear of something that is going to go off the rail."

Haynes asked school representatives at the meeting about lockdown drills. Most districts and campuses have plans in place, but some differ in how those plans are carried out.

Though there has not been a fatal incident in Butte County, local schools aren't strangers to lockdowns.

One of the things Basham said the schools should train on is the system they use to make calls to parents.

He said a school in Placerville had implemented a reverse-call system, but it used the same system utilized for announcements and shut down the entire telephone system. He recommended putting reverse-call systems on separate lines.

Basham said counties are moving toward returning special officers to schools, but Haynes also recommended the schools develop relationships with law enforcement. He suggested schools invite officers and other first responders to school events, partly to assure safety and also to get acquainted with the campus and staff.

Basham also asked what kind of systems the different schools use to announce lockdowns. Some of the schools use the public address system, though it was noted there are teachers who turn those down in the classroom. Other schools use a bell system.

"Get together and work out what works well with emergency responders," said Basham, adding schools should invest in an alarm system.

He suggested the districts get together and form a safety committee to work on notifications and other issues so there is consistency with all the districts in the county.

"This is kind of something we aren't (really) prepared for: what do we do if there's a gunman on our facility," Basham continued. "Columbine was a wakeup call, but we all got lazy. Sandy Hook happened and it freaked us out."

One of the main purposes of the seminar was to show school officials the different priorities and roles police, firefighters and medics have in an emergency.

"That's why we're here, to try to bring these two very different entities together to make sure they are on the same page, working together," said BCOE program manager Bruce Baldwin.

Other subjects were also discussed, such as who would call 9-1-1, how students would be evacuated and the importance of having backup to replace a teacher or member of staff to help deal with children when the emergency is over.

One of the speakers recommended the districts conduct a complete drill, utilizing all agencies that would be involved in a real active-shooter incident.

Haynes concluded the program by saying that the schools don't have to "reinvent the wheel."

"If you have a good policy, share it," he said.

BCOE will host a more intense, detailed safe schools summit on June 11 and 12.

The summit will be to "really dive into school plans" from what was learned Monday, Baldwin said.